


How Cars 3 Should Have Ended

by ShuTodoroki



Category: Cars (Pixar Movies)
Genre: A lot of lines from the movie stay the same, Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Lightning beats Storm, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:14:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29133870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShuTodoroki/pseuds/ShuTodoroki
Summary: Lightning knows that he has to win the race at the Florida 500. For his racing career, and to give Cruz a chance at racing. He can't let his trainer leave when she's told to by Sterling. Not until he beats Storm, and gives her the chance she deserves.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	How Cars 3 Should Have Ended

Lightning McQueen was confident as he passed another Next Gen on the race track at the Florida 500. With all that he learned from Smokey in Thomasville, he had an advantage this time that would allow him to beat Jackson Storm. 

Most likely, Jackson was complacent from his winning streak, and he wouldn't have done anything different from his rigorous simulator training. Which was why he could take advantage of that weakness, and take the pole position before Jackson could on the last lap.

Besides, his racing career was at stake. He couldn't lose this race, unless he wanted to sell mudflaps for the rest of his life. He was just about to pass another Next Gen when he overheard Sterling talking to Cruz, his trainer, over his radio. 

“Cruz, what are you doing here?” Sterling asked, seemingly unhappy that the trainer was here watching the race, and not at the Rust-eze Racing Center.

“Oh! Mr. Sterling. I was just-” Cruz was cut off as Sterling interrupted her, obviously uninterested in her reason.

“I’d like you to head back to the training center, right away.” 

“Oh. But why?” Cruz asked. She wanted to stay and watch her training with Lightning pay off, as well as support him. That’s what a trainer did, right?

“I need you to get Kurt up to speed for the race next weekend.” Sterling then shook his hood as he realized that he messed up the Next Gen trainee names. “Um…wait, not Kurt. He’s the bug guy, right? The other one…Ronald! Yes!” 

“But I want to stay and watch.” Cruz protested.

“That’s not gonna happen, Cruz. Now go-” He was cut off as Cruz interrupted him, which angered him slightly.

“B-But Mr. McQueen still has a chance-” Cruz stammered, but she couldn’t finish what she was going to say.

“Just go do your job!” Sterling snapped, ensuring that his word was final. He was the owner of Rust-eze. What he said was what was done.

Cruz looked like she wanted to say more, but she knew that she couldn’t. “…Yes sir.”

“And take off that spoiler and those racing tires. You look ridiculous. You are a trainer, remember? Not a racer.”

Sterling's words echoed in his head, as he remembered when he berated Cruz in his trailer after Thunder Hollow. "If you were a _**racer,**_ you'd know what I'm talking about. But you're not, so you _**don't!**_ " 

He remembered seeing Cruz on the simulator and how she tore through the sand of Fireball Beach, all the while he recalled what Sterling told him when he first arrived and saw Cruz: "No, no no no. She's not a racer. She's a trainer."

She proved to be capable in racing when she drifted around the turns of the Thomasville Speedway, when she bounded over bumps in the road on the Midnight Run, when she maneuvered around the tractors, and especially when she took the checkered flag when they trained on the Thomasville Speedway.

"I've wanted to become a racer _forever._ Because of _you._ " Cruz had told him. "It was my one shot, and I didn't take it." 

He looked over and saw Cruz leaving the speedway in the distance, and he knew that he had to give Cruz her shot. But he had to win this race if he wanted to. He had no time to think as Cam Spinner spun out ahead of him, colliding into multiple Next Gens that were ahead of him. 

Slamming on the brakes, he quickly maneuvered around various cars that were strewn around the track, and it reminded him of what had happened during the 2006 season. It was a good thing that he had experience, so that he came out of the pile up unscathed.

"Kid, you okay?" He heard Smokey ask over the radio.

"Smokey, I need Cruz!" Lightning said with a sense of urgency, afraid that she had already left the speedway. 

"Never mind that now." Smokey replied, but Lightning was adamant.

"No! I need her back here, now! Get her back!" Lightning heard no reply, but he assumed that Smokey was busy trying to get a hold of Cruz.

He drove towards pit row, planning to take the opportunity to pit when everyone else was doing so. "Get ready, guys. Luigi, Guido, tires! Fillmore, fuel!" 

"Okay, I'm here. What's going on?" Cruz asked, unsure as to why she was called back.

Lightning looked at Cruz determinedly as Guido got to work. "I heard everything, Cruz. You gotta tell Sterling that you're staying." 

Sterling came around from the other side of Smokey's platform, since he saw Cruz coming back, and he wasn't happy about it. Not at all. "What is she doing back here?"

Cruz looked nervously between Lightning and Sterling. "Mr. McQueen?" 

"Along with my friends, I need your support, Cruz. You agreed to train me even after I yelled at you. You're still doing your job if you stay here, because you'll be supporting me, and that's what trainers do. With your help, I'll beat Storm."

Sterling heard what Lightning said, and he wasn't going to let his authority be usurped. "Cruz, I told you to head back to the racing center!" 

"But as Mr. McQueen said, I'll be doing my job by supporting him during the race! You did say that I was his trainer, and that I was going to work with him. I'm not going to leave him when he needs support the most." 

"You need to listen to me!" 

Luigi, Guido, and Fillmore had finished at this point, and Lightning was just waiting for Cruz to put her tire down. "Mr. Sterling, if you're really my most avid fan, you'll let Cruz stay, and give me all the support I can get. You do want the best for my racing career, right?" 

"Please, Mr. Sterling. Ronald's race is next weekend. It can wait. I'm his trainer; I'm doing my job by supporting him." Cruz added.

Sterling knew that Lightning was using the same persuasion technique that he used to persuade him to not turn him into a brand, and it was unfortunately working. Besides, Cruz did have a point that a few hours was unlikely to make a difference in Ronald's progress back at the Rust-eze Racing Center.

He sighed, looking exasperated as he looked at the two, obviously unhappy. "Fine."

Lightning took off when he heard Sterling say that word, and he quickly got back into the race. He had lost a few places because of the delay, but it was nothing that he couldn't make up in a short period of time. Once he got into the top ten, that's when the challenge started.

Jackson looked up at the monitors in the speedway and smirked. The racing veteran was no threat to him, and he just kept his cool as he maintained his position at the front, waiting for the green flag.

All of the race cars floored it when the green flag was out, and Lightning quickly gained momentum as he passed a few more Next Gens, holding his own in a field now dominated by the next generation of racers. 

By the time that the sun was setting over the Florida beaches, Lightning had made his way into tenth place after he passed another Next Gen, officially placing him in the top ten. The techniques that he had learned in Thomasville helped greatly; "sneaking through windows" was how he had managed to get into the top ten relatively quickly.

"Just wanted to let you know McQueen is moving up toward you." Ray told Jackson over his radio.

Jackson was nonchalant. He expected the veteran to finish at least in the top ten. As long as he wasn't threatening his victory, he didn't care. "Why should I care?"

"Because he's in the top ten." 

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Anticipated. Honestly, Ray, it's McQueen. We laughed about him earlier." 

Lightning approached the leaders of the race, but they didn't scare him. He went on to pass them, and he was soon in fourth place. Where he was when he crashed at the Los Angeles International Speedway. 

He quickly repressed unneeded memories of that incident before that could discourage him. This time would be different. He knew it. With all of the training he had undergone, and the motivation to keep his racing career and give Cruz a chance at racing, he couldn't lose.

"McQueen, up to fourth." Ray informed Jackson, but the Next Gen still wasn't concerned.

"And that's where he'll stay." Jackson asserted. This race was between him, and Danny Swervez who was currently on his tail. Not Lightning McQueen. That is, until he heard his radio crackle to life yet again, as he saw Lightning pass Flip Dover, putting him in third.

"McQueen is in third!" Ray stated, sounding more worried. 

Jackson narrowed his eyes. Lightning posed a legitimate threat at the moment, but he knew how to fix it. He slowed down, allowing Danny to pass him, to which the racer gave him a confused look.

 _What are you doing, Storm?_ Lightning thought, as Jackson pulled alongside him, always having that confident smirk on his face. "Hey, champ! Glad to see you're back from that crash. You know, it's admirable that you're trying to prove that stock cars can still make it out here. But you know what?" 

He paused, ready to trash talk Lightning into submission, guaranteeing his victory. "You'll never be as fast as me, and that crash back in Los Angeles should be an indication of that. If you know your place, you'd be selling mudflaps like the other veterans, because your racing career is over. Enjoy your retirement." With that, he sped up, and he easily took the lead once again.

"Don't listen to him, kid. He's tryin' to get in your head." Smokey advised over his radio.

"Don't worry. I never did. Besides…" Lightning had a smirk of his own. "I've gotten into his. He's afraid that he's going to lose." 

"Then make his fear a reality." Smokey replied.

"Will do." Lightning kept his position in third place, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pass Danny Swervez ahead of him on a turn. 

"And how far back is he now?" Jackson asked, obviously under the impression that Lightning had fallen back in the race from his trash talk. Obviously, however, he was wrong.

"Look behind you!" Ray ordered, knowing that the situation was becoming dire for his racer.

"What!?!" Jackson looked behind himself, and he saw Lightning literally right behind him. This wasn't how the race was supposed to go. Not at all. 

"How's it going, Storm?" Lightning asked coolly, knowing that he had a very good chance of winning, now that he was in second place.

"Wait, how did you-" 

"You really think trash talking is going to work anymore? You really need some new tactics. Someone might take advantage of them…" 

Jackson frantically changed lanes, trying to cut Lightning off at every turn. "You know, I think you're scared of being beaten by a veteran like me." 

"No, I am not!" Jackson retorted, not planning to tell Lightning the truth. Ever.

"Yes, you are!" 

"Stop talking. You're taking me off my line!"

"Maybe that's the point!" They passed the flag car, now on their last lap. It was now or never for Lightning.

"Whatever happened to you being faster than me, Storm?" 

Jackson was practically seething at this point. "You are not winning this, McQueen, give it up!" 

Lightning smirked. Jackson's lines were faltering, and he was driving more aggressively than ever. He knew what that meant. "You're angry, aren't you?" 

"I am _not_ angry!" Jackson yelled. Yeah. He was angry. Very angry. 

"Angry, and scared. I wouldn't blame you. Getting beaten by someone you trash talk so much. Kind of embarrassing." 

"I SAID I'M NOT ANGRY!" 

Lightning pushed his engine, intending to use Jackson's moment of weakness to pass him to take the win. Jackson, however, predicted this, and he wasn't going to allow his rival to take his victory away from him. "Oh, I don't think so!"

Jackson cut in front of him, so Lightning swerved to the other side. He was overtaking Jackson, which caused the Next Gen to panic. "No!" Next thing he knew, Lightning was slammed into the side wall, and sparks flew from his right side as he was scraped along the side wall by Jackson.

"Your racing career is over!" Jackson growled out. He would do anything to ensure that _he_ was going to win, not an old veteran like Lightning.

Lightning narrowed his eyes. He wouldn’t allow Jackson to get away with what he was doing. Victory was going to be his, and he was going to do it fairly. “No. It. Isn’t!” He brought his two right tires up so that they rolled along the side wall, and he pushed off of the wall, flipping over Jackson like how Smokey described to him. 

He landed on the other side of Jackson and floored it. Before he knew it, he passed Jackson, and he then passed the finish line soon afterwards. He had won. Fireworks went off as the crowd cheered, but he didn't even hear it as he drove down the track towards the pits.

"It's Lightning McQueen for the win! What a comeback!" Bob Cutlass announced.

"Man, heck of a win." Darrell Cartrip mused. The odds were against Lightning, and he managed to beat them.

"Yeah…heck of a win." Natalie echoed, amazed that Lightning had won, when Jackson had a 96.8% chance of winning.

Lightning smiled as he looked at the pits from the race track, where all of his Radiator Springs friends were celebrating, along with Smokey and Cruz. He drove off of the race track to greet them, but before he could Sterling barged his way through to see Lightning.

"Out of my way. Come on. Move it." The silver car glared at Mater when he was slow to move. "Move!" He yelled, which caused the tow truck to flinch away. He replaced his annoyed look with a smile as he approached Lightning. 

"Well, Lightning, it seems that you've proven yourself to be a capable racer. We had a deal, and you won the race against Storm. I look forward to seeing you race next season! You'll make Rust-eze proud." 

Lightning felt satisfaction that he could keep his racing career, until he saw Cruz cheering for him with the rest of his team. He remembered what he needed to do. "That's great and all, Mr. Sterling, but what about Cruz?" 

Cruz's joyful expression fell at that, as she looked nervously between Lightning and Sterling. She had no idea where Lightning was going with this.

Sterling didn't seem to get what Lightning was asking about either. "What about her? She'll go back to train the Next Gen trainees at the training center. You obviously don't need her help anymore." 

"Well, she helped me train to beat Storm, and she's a pretty capable racer herself. She beat me at Thomasville." 

Cruz's jaw dropped when she heard Lightning say that, and she quickly drove up to him. "Mr. McQueen, it's fine, really, I-" 

"I want to give you your shot, Cruz." Lightning said, looking at Cruz with a smile.

"Nonsense! She's just a _trainer,_ not a racer." Sterling reiterated. "If she raced under us, she'd damage the brand." 

Lightning knew that he couldn't race under someone who cared only about the brand, and not about the racers behind it. "If you're not going to allow Cruz to race, then I can't race under you." 

He then heard the sound of multiple honks from a car horn, as Tex Dinoco and the King approached him. "Well then race for me!"

Lightning looked at the Cadillac, surprised at his appearance. "Tex?"

"As you know, Team Dinoco needs a racer for next season, and that offer I gave you all those years ago is still up. We have a long history of great racers. Except for Cal." Tex said, winking. 

"Uh, guys? I'm still right here." Cal said, appearing from behind the King.

Lightning laughed at Tex's joke. "I would love t-" 

"Excuse me, Mr. Dinoco, but Lightning has a contract with Rust-eze. You can't exactly take my racer." Sterling said, visibly miffed as he interrupted Lightning. 

"And his contract was non-binding if I recall correctly, so Lightning has no obligation to you. Hi, I'm his lawyer." Sally said, approaching Sterling who was looking increasingly worried.

“Thanks, Sal.” Lightning said as he gave a grateful smile, to which Sally winked in response.

“You are not a nice guy!” Mater told Sterling as the billionaire looked uncharacteristically sheepish. “Although, I got to say, you do make a quality mudflap at an affordable price.”

Tex cleared his throat as he approached Sterling. “Hey, Sterling. Why don’t you and I take a drive and talk? Billionaire to billionaire?” The two drove off, leaving Cruz confused as Lightning watched them drive off. 

“Wait. If you’re going to race for Dinoco, Dinoco only has one racer. I’ll still be under Mr. Sterling.” Cruz pointed out.

“Not exactly.” Strip said, driving up to the two of them with Cal as he had a slight smile on his hood. “I’ve known Tex for a long time, and he can pull some strings to get you a racing career.”

“It’s probably related to his drive with Sterling, as well.” Cal added.

Lightning had no idea what Strip and Cal were talking about, until he thought about it. “Wait…you think he’s buying Rust-eze?”

Strip chuckled. “He definitely has the money for it.”

“If he’s buying Rust-eze, you have a chance at racing, Cruz!” Lightning exclaimed, looking at Cruz excitedly.

Cruz perked up, excited as well. “Under Rust-eze!?!” She couldn’t believe that she was getting this opportunity, thanks to Lightning. This time, she was going to take the shot she was given.

“Not just under Rust-eze. Under my racing number.” Lightning added.

Everyone was shocked at that, except Smokey, who had figured it out. He waited for Lightning to explain as he had a knowing smile on his hood. 

Cruz, however, was concerned. “…You want me to take 95? Then what number are you going to have?”

“51. In Doc’s memory.” 

“Hud would’ve wanted you to have it.” Smokey said.

At that moment, the paparazzi managed to make their way towards Lightning, and they started asking many questions pertaining to his victory over Jackson Storm. He answered each one the best he could, but he couldn't help but be preoccupied with what had just happened.

He was going to race for Dinoco, and if Tex was buying Rust-eze, Cruz would have her shot at racing. After everything that had happened, it had all worked out in the end. He couldn't have been more happy at the outcome.

* * *

"Welcome all to historic Willy's Butte for today's great exhibition of speed!" Luigi announced, holding up a green flag. 

Cruz roared onto the scene, doing a donut on the dirt track as she showed off her new paint job. She kept her main yellow color, but she had a big stylized red 95 on both sides, with "Rust-eze" in red as well on her tail. 

There were a variety of compliments from the cars watching, consisting of the Radiator Springs gang, and Doc's old racing friends. "Thanks, guys!" Cruz thanked.

"Nice paint, kiddo!" Louise exclaimed.

"Pardon me. Big hat, coming through. Get 'er done, 95! Whoo-hoo!" Mater cheered, coming through with a new red 95 hat for Cruz.

"Passing on the 95 to you was a great idea! It looks good on you." Sally complimented.

"I love it! Though Lightning got 51. Makes sense, since Doc was so close to him."

"Hud would be proud." Smokey said.

As if on cue, Lightning arrived, and slowly drove down the slope to the dirt track, showing off his new paint job. He was painted in Dinoco blue, with the 95 on his sides replaced with 51. The Dinoco logo featured prominently on his hood, as he received a similar response from the crowd.

"I remember how you wanted to race for Dinoco all those years ago." Sally reminisced, smiling. "You look good in it!" 

"Wasn't _that_ many." Lightning corrected, laughing. "Thanks, Sal." 

Cruz nodded in agreement. "Thanks for giving me this opportunity. I won't let it go to waste." 

"Thank Tex! He's the one who bought Rust-eze to allow you to be a racer." 

Tex arrived, honking like how he did at the Florida 500. "I made that Sterling fella a Texas-sized offer!" 

"So, you ready to start training for next season?" Lightning asked, looking at Cruz with a slight smirk.

"I don't know. You ready to lose again?" Cruz retorted, harkening back to when she won at Thomasville, as she returned the smirk.

"Oh! Hope you've got your fluffy cloud." 

"I hope you got your drip pan."

"Got my drip pan and I've taken my nap."

"Bring it on, old man." 

"Luigi?" Lightning looked at Luigi expectantly, and the Italian car did not hesitate to wave the green flag.

"Go!" He exclaimed, and both cars shot off into the first turn. Both knew that their racing careers wouldn't be the same, Lightning now racing for Dinoco and Cruz starting her first racing season, but they wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
